Feds charge 6 computer hackers linked to group Anonymous

The feds today announced charges against six people described as “core members and leaders” of the notorious computer-hacking group known as “Anonymous” and several offshoots. Those charged include a Lower East Side man, Hector Xavier Monsegur, 28, who was arrested last year, secretly pleaded guilty and is cooperating with authorities in a bid for leniency. Court documents unsealed this morning outline four separate schemes that targeted major corporations and government agencies in the United States and around the world. Read More: New York Post

Judge keeps bail at $2M for mom alleged to be running hooker ring

A judge this morning refused to lower the $2 million bail of an accused Manhattan madam, after prosecutors argued that “high wealth individuals” were poised to help her flee the country. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan shot down the bid by Anna Gristina, a 44-year-old woman accused of running a high-end call girl ring out of her East 78th Street pad. Read More: New York PostQueens’ most expensive block is in Belle Harbor, Rockaways

A new report on the priciest blocks in Queens has been raising eyebrows over some unexpected results. Belle Harbor, in the Rockaways, had the borough’s most expensive block — which came as a surprise to local brokers. The median Belle Harbor home price on Rockaway Beach Blvd., between Beach 145th and Beach 146th Sts. was $2.5 million, according to the PropertyShark report. Read More: Daily News

Man Gets 23 Years In Murder Of Brooklyn Dancer

A convicted sex offender was sentenced upstate Tuesday to 23 years in prison for killing a woman he picked up at a Manhattan nightclub. Michael Mele, 26, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in January in the death of Brooklyn resident Laura Garza. Garza, 25, was last seen leaving Club Marquee in Chelsea with Mele back in 2008. Mele admitted to suffocating the aspiring dancer and dumping her body in rural Pennsylvania. Read More: NY1

City Puts 33 More Schools On Chopping Block

It wasn’t just an idle threat. The Department of Education filed the final paperwork Monday evening, just shy of the deadline. Thirty-three schools are to close in June, and in September, new schools will replace them in the same buildings. Students will be automatically transferred to the new schools but as for the teachers, they have to reapply for their jobs and the city says no more than half will be rehired. Read More: NY1